by all who are willing to do their duty.  These requirements are, repentance, forsaking sin, faith in Christ, and a supreme devotedness to his service.  Have you, my dear children, attended to these requirements?  If not, you are in a much worse condition than these poor heathen of whom you have been reading.  They are not as guilty before God as you are.  They know not their Master’s will.  Still, they must perish, unless the Gospel is sent to them.  But though they perish, their punishment will be lighter than the punishment of those who refuse to love and obey the Saviour.  That servant who knows his Lord’s will, and prepares not himself, neither does according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he that knows not, and does commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.  Should it be your sad lot to perish at last, it would be far better for you to go down to hell enveloped in all the darkness of a heathen land, than to go down to hell from a land of such gospel light and privileges as you enjoy.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE SUTTEE, OR BURNING OF WIDOWS.

My dear children—­From what I have already told you, you know that the Hindoos are a cruel people.  But I have not told you of the extent to which they carry their cruelty.  Perhaps it is shown to the highest degree in their practice of the suttee, or burning of widows.  The British have abolished this rite throughout their dominions in India.  They have also made great exertions to have it abolished in the territories of the native princes, but I am sorry to say, that in some of these territories it is still practised.  Within the last three years, twenty-three of the princes just alluded to, have issued orders for its abolishment throughout their dominions.  These orders have probably been issued solely in consequence of their fear of the British power, for it is a practice which is riveted in the affections of the people.  This power they know that it will be dangerous to resist.

In my “Sermon to Children, on the Condition of the Heathen,” I mentioned, that the sacred books of the heathen encourage the suttee.  I also mentioned several instances, in which widows had been burned to death with the corpses of their husbands.  Even though you may have seen that book, it will be well for me to give you two or three other cases, to impress your minds more fully with the horrors of the Hindoo religion.  The first took place in a village of Tanjore.  A merchant having died, his wife, who was about thirty years old, determined to burn herself with his corpse.  The news of what she was going to do, quickly spread in every direction, and large numbers of people collected to witness the burning.  After she was adorned with jewels and dressed in her best clothing, and after her body was tinged with the yellow infusion of sandal-wood and saffron, bearers arrived to take away the corpse with the wretched woman.  The body of the man was placed on a car, ornamented with costly stuffs, flowers, etc.  There he was seated like a living man, elegantly decorated with all his jewels, and clothed in rich attire.